Re: [microsound] Sound installations

["Stasisfield.com" <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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At 8:25 PM -0800 1/23/03, ph!L @ c e n t i b e l wrote:

>I'm specifically wondering how people dealt with the visual element
>or lack thereor. Did you do a pure sound installation with nothing
>but speakers/headphones around? Or did you integrate a deliberate
>visual element as well.

hi phil,

in my experience of both "viewing" and creating sound installations, 
i haven't been able to divorce the sonic element from its visual 
environment, even when it's been merely a bench with a set of 
headphones.

imo, if an artist chooses to create a sound installation, i think the 
piece needs to reflect that choice by taking into account the 
platform via which it's being presented: as an installation (which 
connotes specific art for a specific space) rather than a performance 
or public presentation of sound (which could be presented in any kind 
of venue which provides a P.A. and a stage). i feel an installation 
is more an artist-controlled environment (combining sonic and visual 
elements) than merely a public presentation of a sound-only piece.

i really think when you begin dealing with sound in a 
gallery/installation setting, it ceases to be merely something to 
listen to and becomes one portion of an environment which has been 
specifically created for the space in which it is displayed. the most 
successful installations i've seen have struck a balance between 
their sonic and visual elements and show evidence of clear aesthetic 
choices made for both media.

that being said, i can still see an argument for a bare-bones 
presentation, although i believe there should be specific reasons for 
it. if i'm presented with a bench, a pair of headphones and a white 
wall, i'm hoping to hear something contemplative rather than 
noise...but this is all entirely my personal opinion, which i'm sure 
has been heavily influenced by many years as a solely visual artist, 
so please take it with at least two grains of salt ;-)

>>

john kannenberg

[ http://www.stasisfield.com ]

[ http://www.whistlingpariah.com ]

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